Using Soft Select and Reflection

- Many times, we'll need to model thingssmoothly and organically and to do that,we have a feature called Soft Selectionand we also have another feature called Reflection,which allows us to model symmetrically.So let's take a look at Soft Selection.I have this character here and let's sayI wanted to model her nose.Well, I can right-click above herand go from Object Mode into Vertex Modeso if I select Vertex, all my verticies pop up.

and I can select the vertex and start to move it.As you can see, that's not going to be very organic.I'm going to undo that.Now if we want, we can use Soft Selectionto get a more organic selectionso all I have to do is double-click on my Move toolor I can click my Tool Settings up here.Now, in the Move settings,we've seen this before with objectsand we've actually played with Soft Select for objectsso if we go to the Soft Select roll-out hereand turn it on,we can Soft Select by a number of things.

We can Soft Select by volume,which is the physical volume.We can fall off by surface,which is along that surfaceand so it doesn't leak over into other objects,and then we can also change the fall off radius.Right now, I have mine at 5but if I dial it down to say 1 or 2,I'll get a smoother deformation.Let's put it right around 1.5 or 2.

And then we have what's called the fall-off curve.Now, by default, it's a standardkind of parabolic fall off.If we want, we can have a little bit of a steeper fall offand then, we have a number of other ones here.We have linear fall off,we have basically no fall off at all,we have one that falls off in different ways.And so you have all these different ones.Now, I tend to go with the first one or two of thesejust because they're more organic.And then finally, we have what's calledthe fall off color.

Now by default, it goes from red to yellowbut if you're modeling say on a red object,that may not show upso you can change your colorsimply by clicking on each one of these circlesand changing that color.So if I wanted to say,change it from yellow to something else,I can do that.Now that we understand all the controls,let's actually use it to model.So all we have to do is just selectand move and you can see how this falls off very easilyand then we can also fall off by surface or by volume.

And these will have slightly different effects,depending upon your model.Now typically, I use Surface because what Surface doesis it will actually measure the distance along the surfaceso it's kind of more of a distance alongthe edge based fall off where volumejust falls off in a 3D volume.Now in addition to Soft Select,we also have what's called Symmetry.So if I want, I can turn Symmetry on.

So let's say I wanted to remodelone side of this character's faceand have that reflected on the other side.Well, we can turn on Symmetry to do that.We have a number of options here.We have along the object space,so along the center of the pivot of the character.So if I were to select her ear,you can see how that selectsand you can also see howwhen I move my mouse over the surface,it shows me exactly what I'm selecting hereso if I wanted to puff out her cheeks,I could do that just simply by moving that.

And we can also move along what's called World Space.So we can move along World X, Y, and Z.Now, she's symmetrical along X so again,if I move this along World Space, it will do that.Now my character is centered to the worldand she also has her pivot at the centerso World Space versus Object Spaceisn't going to be that much differenton this particular character.Now, if your character is in a different positionor a different position relative to the world,this may have a big effectso just understand the differences between those.

So once we have this in effect,all we have to do is just select what we wantand you can see how we can model symmetrically.So this is a great way to do symmetrical objectssuch as characters or really anythingand all you have to do is model one sideand then you can be confidentthat the other side will follow along.

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Released

6/22/2015

Need to learn Maya? Start here. This course covers the latest features in Maya 2016, while giving you a strong foundation in all the core tools, including 3D modeling, texturing, rendering, animation, and more. It starts with the basics of selecting and manipulating objects and organizing scenes, as you learn the interface and explore Maya's features. Author George Maestri then takes you through polygonal modeling, creating and refining meshes, sculpting, and NURBS modeling. After you begin to understand modeling, George will show you how to create and apply materials to surfaces—adding color, texture, and reflectivity. He'll then integrate cameras, lighting and depth-of-field effects in the rendering process, and finally, show how to add movement and life to your work with Maya's animation tools.